Ten Ways to Fully Appropriate Christ’s Resurrection Power to Your Life (Acts 2:1-35)
Illustration: Two roses were on the Communion table in our church on Easter Sunday morning. As I looked at them, my heart was filled with joy.
The red rose signified the birth of little Brian, who had come into the world on Good Friday. And on this particular Sunday we were celebrating the gift of this new life.
The yellow rose represented a new spiritual life. On the previous Wednesday evening, Sandra, a sixth-grader, had trusted Christ as her Savior at the youth group meeting. What made this significant was that she had received a gift distributed by our church at Christmastime to needy families. As a result, Sandra had begun coming regularly to our church. When she heard the gospel that Wednesday, she put her trust in Christ as her Savior and was born again.
As we celebrated Easter that morning, I couldn’t help but think of those two new lives. Not only is the risen Savior the Creator of physical life (Col. 1:16), He is also the Originator of new spiritual life because of His sacrificial death and His triumph over the grave. His resurrection gives meaning to life here and now, and it assures us that someday we will receive a new "spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:44).
Let’s rejoice today in Christ’s resurrection! (Our Daily Bread)
Christ’s resurrection is cause for our celebration.
1. Christ’s resurrection gives us the assurance that all things done in the name of Jesus and for His purposes, will be victorious. Even though many Christians realize this truth they still live in with self-doubts. Many people wonder where they can get the power to witness to their friends? Others wonder how they can overcome their discouragement, troubles and fears? Peter states an outstanding fact when he says, "Men of Israel, Jesus was a man accredited by God to you miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you." (Acts 2:22) Not only were these works a sign that the Messiah had come, but that God would work great ministries through those who trusted in Christ’s power.
Theme - Ask the Lord to help you to fully appropriate ALL the power, purposes and plans that the Lord has for you and your people.
2. Christ’s resurrection shows how God’s purposes, processes and plans are always perfectly fulfilled. Peter resisted the temptation to point a finger of judgment at the Jewish elders and teachers of the law in this passage. Instead, Peter focus on Christ’s sufferings and subsequent resurrection proves God’s prophetic plan. Often, people need to have someone to interpret history for them before they are able to learn the most important lessons. Ask the Lord to help you correctly understand all that God’s purposes for your life, relationships and ministries through the struggles He allows you to experience.
3. Christ’s resurrection is used by Peter to explain the mysterious ways that God’s will unfolds. If you really want to learn how to know the will of God, just follow the exemplary life of Jesus Christ. The Jewish elders rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah because He did not fulfill THEIR expectations. Consequently they missed out on the greatest opportunity of their lifetime. Christ’s resurrection has a way of showing all people that we may be rejected by men, but approved by God. Ask the Lord to help you to fix more of your emotional, mental and spiritual energies on following the footsteps of Jesus regardless of perplexing pathways.
4. Christ’s resurrection is used by Peter to show all ethnic groups of the world that we have Christ as our common way to truth, life and heaven. There are many religions and even theologians who would have us believe that finding God’s will is complicated. On the contrary, as we trust and obey what the Lord has revealed to us in Christ, we are clearly shown what to do on a day by day basis. Ask the Lord to help you bring all people groups toward Christ as a way of overcoming differences of opinions. Jesus is the key to all wisdom and knowledge. Jesus helps each sincere seeker find the true answers to the most perplexing problems of this life and the one to come.
5. Christ’s resurrection is used by Peter to show how even David, the Old Testament King, looked forward to the power of Christ to conquer conquer sin, death and eternal judgment. Peter said, "David was a prophet who knew that God had promised him that He would place one of his descendants on the throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of Christ." (Acts 2:30,31) This sense of gladness and triumphant hope gave David the courage to overcome all kinds of adversities. Ask the Lord to help you gain greater insights into the hope that David garnered in His Psalms because of His great faith in Christ’s coming resurrection power.
6. Christ’s resurrection helps us dispel the sadness, gloom and fear of death. Peter teaches all the people groups represented on that day that the resurrection of our dear Lord banishes all fear of the unknown powers of death. Through Christ’s resurrection, Peter assures his listeners that we are given a confident expectation that God will do all that He promised to do. Ask the Lord to do great things through your life, ministry and prayers. He will fulfill all of His promises.
8. Christ’s resurrection helps us appropriate all of the truth of the scripture as we gain a greater insight into God’s attributes. Peter explains that Christ’s resurrection power, truth and holiness are expressed perfectly through His triumph over sin, death and eternal judgment. Through Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice, we are able to come to God with full confidence that He will lavish His grace upon us through a greater knowledge of all of His spectacular attributes.
9. Christ’s resurrection encourages us to remain consistently true, faithful and obedient to God’s plan regardless of our circumstances. No doubt, the Lord Jesus was tempted to give in to the pressures, the worries and pleasures of his human nature. Like Jesus, we need to press ahead with our focus firmly fixed on the heavenly goal of our Father without staggering in unbelief. Let us grow in faith, spiritual maturity, and fruitfulness as we fully appropriate all of Christ’s resurrection power through us. Ask the Lord to help you refuse to live under your dark moods, difficult circumstances of pressures from critical authorities. Instead, trust the Lord to help you live in the light of Christ’s overcoming power and truth.
10. Christ’s resurrection teaches us not to try to take the controls away from our heavenly Father. Some people are afraid that unless they are in control of their future something awful will happen to them. Peter reminds his listeners what David said, "The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." (Acts 2:34,35) Remember, God’s sovereign power is able to deliver you from any internal or external opposition. Never underestimate God’s ability to deliver you from the most horrid situation. Ask the Lord to help you surrender all of the controls of your life to Him regardless of how adverse your circumstance.
